The background
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Getting the right perspective
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Syllabus content
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Foodforum A level case studies
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Making links with industry
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A
Level food technology
The
background
Food is a major employer in the UK - a highly competitive and challenging
industry offering a wealth of employment opportunities. The introduction
of new Advanced Level courses (September 2000) provides a valuable pathway
to further and higher education for those who wish to study the subject
at this level.
There were already food-related
courses available at Advanced Level, Home Economics in particular, but
these are substantially different from Food Technology. Whilst Home
Economics courses predominantly take a home and family perspective,
Food Technology reflects the practical applications of materials, processes
and technologies in relation to food and addresses not just the consumer
perspective, but also the industrial and technological. Home Economics
A Levels will continue to be offered by some Awarding Bodies, but the
extent of their shelf-life is yet to be determined.
A Level syllabuses are offered
by the following awarding bodies and information can be found on their
respective web sites:
AQA
Edexcel
WJEC
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Getting
the right perspective
It is in the area of content, or rather the way in which it is organised
and presented, that the specifications (previously syllabuses) differ
most markedly from one another. There is much about the specifications
that is recognisable as being similar to the content of any advanced
food course. However, the perspective now taken reflects the fact that
to understand food in a technological society is to understand it in
the broadest possible context, including its technological applications.
AS/A Level courses in Food
Technology provide opportunities for students to:
develop and sustain their own
innovation, creativity and practical D&T capability
develop a critical awareness
about food product design and manufacture, including industrial and
commercial practices
apply knowledge, understanding
and skills about food, design and production processes - making practical
use of what they know, understand and can do
use Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) in a range of ways, egs. use of information systems
- databases; spreadsheets; modelling (costing, nutritional analysis,
scaling up and down); use of graphics packages; data logging, measurement
and control; nutritional analysis; manufacturing on-line; CAD and CAM
take account of the social, moral,
spiritual and cultural values that underpin design and technological
activity when they are evaluating products and their applications, and
when making their own design decisions
develop as discerning consumers,
able to make informed choices
foster positive attitudes of
co-operation and citizenship in preparation for adult life
develop and use transferable
key skills - communication skills, numeracy, ICT, management of their
own learning, collaborative working, problem-solving, critical and analytical
thinking, flexibility and adaptability
develop and demonstrate management
skills, egs. in projects and tasks, setting targets, reviewing and monitoring
progress, time and resource management, planning and organisation
The Advnced Level courses aim
to develop appropriate skills in these areas, including a wide range
of practical skills in handling and working with food, applying design
thinking and manufacturing processes.
Throughout the courses a number
of perspectives are developed and students should learn from, and about,
each of them:
Industry perspective -
The food industry is an integral part of the modern world, whose function
is to develop and manufacture food products to meet needs and wants
in a rapidly changing society. Students will be taught about key aspects
of the industry, egs. the nature of foodstuffs, process engineering
of food products, safety and hygiene, consumer needs and wants.
Consumer perspective -
Consumers of food products may have interests that do not always coincide
with those of the food industry. Students will be taught about consumer
concerns, egs. cost, safety, food legislation, environmental issues
and the relationship between consumers and the food industry.
Understanding technology and
society - D&T can contribute to education for citizenship by raising
awareness and understanding of the technological issues which face citizens
in our modern world. Students will be taught about the role the food
industry plays in modern society, including international and global
issues. They will consider the future of the food industry, eg. the
increasing use of biotechnology.
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Specifiaction
content
QCA provided awarding bodies with a set of criteria from which A
level courses have been developed. The areas of study include:
food science, chemistry and
nutrition
food processing, production
and manufacturing
nutritional and sensory effects
on food through processing
nutrition claims and labelling
HACCP - risk assessment and
management
energy efficiency
consideration of socio-economic,
cultural and ethical factors
food law and its enforcement
resource management
microbiology
food process engineering
use of systems, diagrams and
schematic layouts
A Level syllabuses organised
into modules - three for AS and a further three for A2, the focus being:
materials
product design and development
manufacturing, systems and control
Units of work at A2 extend the
work of the AS units in more depth and at a greater level of application.
This is the case for all Awarding Bodies, although they express it differently
according to the way in which they have organised syllabus content.
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FoodForum
A Level case studies
These case studies were developed in collaboration with the British
Nutrition Foundation (BNF), and made possible with the support of several
of their member companies (Marks & Spencer, Northern Foods and Unilever).
They provide a resource that teachers can use to address the demands
and rigour of A Level study.
Each case study provides information
and materials that may be used to support students through a broad variety
of learning experiences, egs:
investigative and experimental
work
individual and group activities
problem-solving tasks
analysis and evaluation of existing
products and systems
development of systems thinking
and application of control concepts
opportunities to develop and
communicate ideas for food products
opportunities to develop, prototype
and realise ideas in practice
taught inputs/demonstrations,
egs. to teach designing and making techniques
discussion of technological issues
and value judgements, egs. values relating to aesthetics, sensory attributes,
materials, nutrition, user preferences and choices, marketing strategies
Please note: information presented in these case studies was correct at the time of posting and does not necessarily reflect current manufacturing processes used.
You can use the search facility
on this site to find other case studies in the F-files that may be used
at A level by going to the user notes.
Guidance on getting the most out of case studies for teaching and learning,
is also provided there.
Additional resources
CAD
and CAM at A level
Many of the principles and practices re ICT, CAD and CAM at A level
are similar to those at GCSE and can be supported by many of the same
resources. Click here
to go to relevant guidance notes.
Making
links with industry
Industry is an excellent resource for dipping into, highlighting real
life examples from which students can learn and improve their own designing
and making practice. This involves learning about how materials may
be used, ie. how things get to be the way they are, how and why they
were developed (designing) and manufactured (making). The purpose of
this requirement is not to learn about industry for its own sake, but
to learn from studying the examples it provides and about the ways in
which things may be done.
Developing an understanding of
industrial practices across a range of scales of production results
in learning about materials - their properties, characteristics, behaviour
when processed, and the ways in which they can be used to meet different
purposes, needs and requirements. The industrial practices aspects are
not separate or additional, but an integral part of learning about food
from a realistic, technological perspective.
It is useful to consider what
those with industrial and commercial expertise may be able to offer
schools and to match this to curriculum requirements and opportunities.
Involving industrial experts can enable students to:
visit a real work environment
tap into a source of information
and expertise
gain first hand experience of
full-scale manufacturing
work with a greater range of
materials, equipment and resources than schools can provide
engage with a real life situation
or challenge
make links with aspects of their
life outside school
Industrial links may be made
using ICT as an alternative or complement to first-hand experience,
egs. conferencing, emailing, virtual tours - the priority being to
bring the subject to life for students and provide them with access
to the world beyond school.
©foodforum.org.uk 2002.
All rights reserved
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